Smartphone brands are showing a lot of interest in satellite messaging these days. Apple and Huawei have already added satellite connectivity features to their latest flagships, and Samsung is also rumored to be working on the same. Now to take things to the next level, Bullitt Group, a smartphone manufacturer based in the UK, has announced it will launch the world’s first smartphone with two-way satellite messaging technology in the first quarter of 2023.

Bullitt has partnered with leading chip manufacturer MediaTek to develop the upcoming smartphone. In order to enable direct-to-satellite communications in its next generation of 5G smartphones, the firm has been working with the semiconductor company for the past 18 months.

The company says it will be the first to use MediaTek’s 3GPP NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) chipset, which was demonstrated earlier this year. In parallel, proprietary software and service components have been developed to support the OTT satellite messaging service.

It will take about ten seconds for the Bullitt-built phones to connect and send messages over satellite. When cellular and Wi-Fi reception is lost, the device will automatically switch to satellite connectivity. Details are still pretty limited, but the company says it will offer a seamless experience.

“We have known for a long time that the answer was in satellite, but an “invisible” and seamless integration into a smartphone creates enormous technical challenges. MediaTek and Bullitt share a pioneering spirit and a history of innovation so now, nearly two years into our relationship, we jointly stand at the forefront of a new era in telecommunications and the quickest, simplest way for our carrier channel partners to offer total peace of mind to their customers,” said Richard Wharton, co-founder at Bullitt Group.

As per the company, the first smartphones with two-way satellite service will be available in Q1 of 2023. They will offer a free year of emergency messaging. The pricing details of the upcoming Bullitt handsets are yet to be known.

Related

• Samsung Galaxy S23 series’ overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be made by Samsung…
• Samsung Could Team Up With Iridium To Bring Satellite Connectivity to the Galaxy S23…
• Apple Will Use Samsung OLED For 7 Out Of Every 10 iPhones It Sells

The post Bullitt and MediaTek to launch world’s first satellite-to-mobile messaging smartphone in Q1 next year appeared first on Gizmochina.